Shopping bag



July 15, 1952 J CRARY 2,603,408

I SHOPPING BAG I Original Filed Nov. 3, 1944 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR. Jay 0. Crary BY ltta neys .171,512-filed June. 30, 1950 Patented July 15, 1952 a SI IOPPING BAG I Jay D.--Crary,1 Portland, reg., assignor to Paper I v Strap Inc.,- Portland, Greg a corporation of Oregon Original application November. 3,- 1944, Serial No. 561,663. Divided and this application June 13,

1949, Serial No. cases s olai ms. (015 22299 54),

I This invention relates to handled bags and -inore particularly to paper, bags of-the type-commonly used in stores for the packaging oftgoods purchased by customers, or to shoppingbags.

- The present application is a division of; my copending application Serial Number 5611363 filed November 3, 1944, now abandoned, andassigned to Paper Strap,,Inc., the assignee of the present application. Certain subject matter of said abandoned application is further disclosed in the continuation-impart application Serial No.

; Frequently it is desirable to provide a bag of the type vdescribed withrhandlesfor facilitating the carrying of g'oodsj therewithiniand, while handled bags of man different types have been devised heretofore, they 1 havegenerally been a so .cost ly toiiianufacture that their usage has been very-limited. Not; only are'the handled bags of the .present'invention-less expensive to manufacturethan handled bags as heretofore provided but the handle incorporated provides a grip which I tend to cut into the fingers,-particularly when carrying a-heavily loadedbag, whereas th handles of the present invention provide flat grip surfaces so that the weight of the load is distributed over-a relatively large area of the hand. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved handled bag which is of relatively simple design and isqparticularly characterized by its low manufacturing cost. v f A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved handled-bag, the handles providing a relatively flat vgripping surface which iscomfortable tothe hand even when carrying relatively heavy loads. More specifically, it isan object of the present first made whereby the bags maybe compactly stacked for packaging and shipment but,i;when

the bags are loaded and' the handles grasped for carrying, the: centra1 portions of the handles automatically assume horizontally extending positions to provide'a comfortable grips 7 7 fiAnd .a further object of .the present invention 'i s--to providea, new .and improved. method for manufacturing; handled bags of the type" de- .scribed.; v

I In accordance with the illustrated embodiments, the bags are provided with strap handles produced from; astrip of relatively thin and tough paper folded; edgewise upon itself. a. plurality ilof more ,fully' described and specifically claimed v.thusformed consists of: a multiplicity of pl times .toform a strong multiple-ply'paper strap.

Lengths .pfthe strap are fir's't'formed by folding in aparticulai'. manner'into a vU-.-shape and are 1 secured "at :their opposite ends '.by a suitable adhesive to mature: surface's o'fthe' paperjba'gjaft the uppermost end there'ofl' Duelto the fact. that the-strap-is relatively widj a' good bond ma'y' be secured by an adhesive between it and the-side wall of the bag over arelativ'ely 'largeareafor distributing-the stress imposed by theload within the bag over a relatively largesection of the bag side wall. Thus evenfthou'gh the bag maybejof relatively-light weight paper,.-it is not necessary to provide any reinforcement means at. thej'p iiit of attachment of the handles.

. For a consideration of, hat'is believed nOViel and inventive, attention is'directed tothe following specification in which additional objects and advantages will be pointed out while the features of novelty characterizing the invention will be set forthwith greater particularity in'the' apfpended claims. p g

In the drawings, Fig. l is a'view in per's'pective illustrating a bag providedwith handlesin'flC- cordance with one form of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detailed view in perspective illustrating a portion 'of' paper istrap suitable foruse in the manufacture of handles for bags; Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating alength j of paper strap used in forming handles; Fig. 4' i s .a view illustrating a handle formed from 'the strap length illustrated in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an edge view of the upper end of a bag shown in a folded condition; Fig. 6is afragmentary view illustrating theupper'end of. the bag in a loaded con'ditionand showing. the handles in the position they will assume when grasped in the hand.'

Referring now to the drawings, in,1*fig.1 ljis shown atypical paper bag. H1 havingfia pairof U-shapedhandle' llv attached to the upper end thereof inaccordance with one form o'fithe present invention. s 1] 1 If The handles l (are formed of paper strap cohsisting of, an elongated'istri'plof ,relativelyithin and tough; paper, such f as light 'weight rkraft paper, folded edgewise upon itself a plurality of times throughout its entire length. 'Thefstrap 'rid l-is of uniform-width and thickness throughou he full length thereof. In Figlfziisshown 'a section l2 of paper strap and fromwhich it will be' observed that the opposite edge portions J2 andv J3 are each folded over a plurality of times andQlie flat against, one surface or theepaperstrip Paper strap of theformdllustrated'in F g.2

the separate co'pending patentapplib'ationfier. --No. 647,l68:filedF-ebruary 12, 19 l6.- nowPatent .No. 2,499,463iandwhich, in. turn, isa-Icontinua tion of :the aparent application .Ser :Nogg53fi l25 filed May' laglii l lg now abandoned, saidtcopend ing application being assigned to PaperxStrap, Inc., the assignee of the present application.

Multiple ply paper strap of the form shown an'dll described in said copending application is :par; ticularly well adapted'for use in the manufacture of handles for paper bags: iSuch' paperdstrapjs' strong and possesses suflicient=tensile -strerigtli towithstand any load which may be carried bythe retain its fiat shape and provide a relatively broad gripping surface to distribute the'load'car riedin the bag overa relatively wide area of the hand. The opposite edges "of th smoothly' rounded'i and the=strap .ciently flexible "sopas to ,provi'de a p 7 Qcomfrtabl'e to ihEfhand? 1] Additional advantages jimm'aimanufacturingpointorviewjfor' the multime :ph'i -Q "s r ps-W g a ay ;m anufactured "readily ".by automatic -machinery 3m -1 on lengths rmmwhich short h'andle lengths hand in a container such ,asa papenbag. Eur; thermore the strap possesses sufficient transverse, rigidity so that, when grasped by the hand, it will OT cours, that the present invention isnot :to be necessarily limited thereto since multiple ply .parzerstrap. Suitable forrproducinghandles"in;ac cordanc.erwith the present invention may be iormediin other Ways." v r j jIi'iliEig. 13"is shown"a 'length'pf'paper strap suitable as jforzning one of 'ftheiharrdl'es incorporated i' the handled bag of 11; The opposite end mentions I 6" and l'l o'filtlre "length. of "pap-er *strap .-.are 'iirstfolded to alpositi'on parallel with each htherlandlin the same direction 'such/as'along' ltlie ioldllinesnil'8- andl9 .at jrightfiangles to the jlintermediate portion .251 .of Lthe-strap 'l'ength The handle-thus. preformed into "a r U -shap e"is Z'ShOWIl more clearly in the view io'ff fiigi l: Theopposite -:en'd;1iortions of thelegsiifi and"! 1 are thenccated withadhesive preferably onthe folded side ofthe .strap; and ,the ,handles'are then pressed" into eng'ga'gein'ent with the. outer surfaces of the opposite .side walls ofthe bag adjacent theupper end thereof andi'with'the "bag in the collapsed or fiat,

' folded condition as illustrated" iITFignB; With gplishingisuch'*purposesi1 Thestrap portion 20 form n the'han'dle'gripiisthus ireefrom adhesive 7 'likely'todissolvegand become gtackyupon=contact 'iwithamoisthandsurface; V s

' -'It will be observed-that; with the handlesprefolded in fthe mannershown in Fig. 4- the-intermediate portion. extends' flatwise in substan- V tially-coplanar relation with the leg-por tic'm's l6 andlTZ Moreover,=with'the handles thus for'med' attaehed to the opposite outerside walls of the ba'g; the handles :extendi'fiatwise in substantially thezsame tplaneias thatiofithei bag so -.as .to facilitate stacking together 'ibf .a-plurality of similar ihandledibagsr-to occupy iatminimum space; This relation is clearly illustrated in :the-i edge view woiKEig. 5i V 1 I When the bag is loaded and both handles :g'rasped in the same hand, the intermediate portions-20 of the two handles automatically readjust themselves from the vertical planar relation :showniinEigsliandfi to a more or less horizontalplanarrelation' illustrated in the view of Fig. '6. -With thegr'ip'portions of thehandles thus extending inthe. horizontal flatwise condition, therw'eight of:the;-bag contents is distributed over fasubstantialtarea of the hand making the loaded bagcomfortable to carry. It is not necessary to separately readjust theintermediate handle portions 20 to such a position shown in Fig. 6, but it fhas been discovered that 'theywilL -Inoreaor less, 1 automatically 7 readjust themselves into such :a 1 relative position they:a'regrasped irr the hand.

Havingnow:described the inventioniin what is 20 "considered tobe=a preerred embodimentthereof,

itis desired thatfitbe' urfderstood thatl'th'e specine-details shown are merely illustrative and that the invention may ibe carried out in'icther '1; An article ofcommerce' 'consisting o' a planar collapsed paper bag having a pair -oi opposed side Walls extendin grclosely adjacent ach other, a-u shaped handle securedto the-' outer surfaces'of each of saidsida'walls adjaceht the mouth end'ofisaid :b'ag} each of said handles-consisting of a paper strip folded 'eugewise upon itself throughout-its entire length forming a m'uitiple ply-paper strap of uniform width -afid thick- 5 "ness throughout the 'full length thereof; the legs of said handles extending at right angles 7 with 'raspect to the intermediatelportionsthereof and "folde'cl along 45 'anglelines at' the juncture *of *said leg portions 1 with said-intermediate portion 40 -vs'7herebysaidjlegs are substantiallyjcoplanar with sai'dintermediate portions, the lower end portions "of said legsbe'ing adhesively -secured tc the outer surfaces ofsaidbag sidewalls arid'iha downwardly depene'ling relation with respect *there'to, *said handles including said lgfipdrtions and said in- "termedi'a-te' portions extending substantially c0- planarwith said bag in the collapsed condition 'thereoflwhei'eby a plurality Ofs'imilar bags-may be stacked together, said intermediate portionpf said handles when gripped by the hand automatically assuming a position extending substantially" horizontally-and normal to "the plane oi the 'bagside -walls an d providing substantially fiat gripping 'surf-a'ces forcarrying the bagwhen loaded. j V '2; An'article of'cornmerce-consistingofacoll'apsedpaper bag and having opposedsicle'waHs extending'closely adjacent each other, ahandle :secured to the outer surfaces of each of's'aid-side walls'adjacent the'mouth "end of said'bagreach of said'handles consisting of a strip of relatively thin and tough paper folded edgewis'e' upon itself a "plurality of times throughout theke'ntire length 7 .of eachiof; saidihandlesrautomatically assuming 5 a substantially horizontal position when gripped by the hand to provide relatively flat gripping surfaces for carrying the bag when loaded.

3. A carrier bag comprising a body having opposite flat sides and a mouth at the upper edges thereof, and a handle secured to each of said sides, each of said handles comprising a single flat strip of flexible paper having its ends on the same face of the strip pasted to the respective side of the bag in spaced relation and extending 10 beyond the upper edge of said side, the intermediate portion of said strip being folded flatwise downwardly on diagonal lines and across the sides of the end portions substantially at REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,075,672 Stark Mar. 30, 1937 2,192,131 Fishwick Feb. 2'7, 1940 

